It's You and Me
by RomioneIsLife
Summary: My first fanfiction! The story about how Ron and Hermione realized that the only thing that matters is each other. Takes place in Deathly Hallows, maybe beyond. Ron grows up. Hermione comes to her senses. Finally.
1. Chapter 1

The distance to Shell Cottage that had seemed so short before was now feeling impossibly long. Ron's legs were aching. The sea breeze stung his eyes, and tears were pouring out of them. Just from the wind, or for other reasons, he did not know. Hermione hadn't loosened her clutch on his shirt, even in unconsciousness. Her face was pressed against his chest, and Ron held her body close to him. Violent shivers were passing through her body, and Ron gripped her tighter, whispering under his breath as he walked on, getting closer and closer to Shell Cottage, to safety.

"Shh, you're okay Hermione. I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you. Shh." He repeated this over and over, but Hermione was still whimpering, still letting out mini-shrieks, and still saying over and over, "It hurts Ron, it hurts. Make her stop Ron. It hurts! She's hurting me!"

Finally, Ron reached the door of Shell Cottage just as it was being flung open, Bill stared at Ron, his eyes flickering between him and Hermione, a frantic expression crossing his face.

"Wha-," Bill began, but Ron cut him off. "Help," he said sharply. "She…, I…, we need help! She's been hurt. She- she was really hurt. Lots of.. Lots of blood. Help." Bill moved aside immediately, ushering Ron upstairs, to the small bedroom at the top of the stairs. He pushed the door open with his foot, and placed Hermione on the bed, dropping to his knees. He took his arms out from under her, and grabbed hold of her hand. The absence of Ron's warmth sent another violent shiver down Hermione's spine. She thrashed blindly, trying to find him again.

"Ron! RON! IT HURTS!" She screamed shrilly, "RON! SHE'S HURTING ME!"

Bill stood, shocked in the doorway as Ron grabbed her hands, and half shouted, "Shh, Hermione. I'm here. You're okay now. You're safe."

Fleur rushed in with a thick, gray potion.

"This will stop the pain, and get her to wake up and come to her senses." Fleur said to Ron in her thick, French accent. Ron nodded, not meeting her eyes, he couldn't, not with the heavy flow of tears streaming down his face. This was his fault. He couldn't save her from Bellatrix. He had left her alone, while he sat in the dungeon downstairs, listening to her shrieks, to her cries of pain. He had been unable to do anything but scream her name, and sob. And there he was, sitting there sobbing when he had escaped with only a few scrapes and bruises, while Hermione was here, in front of him, so completely broken, it was bringing him to tears.

Ron, still crying, lifted Hermione up into a sitting position and tilted her chin back, Fleur gently tipped the thick, gray potion towards her mouth. Hermione coughed and sputtered, but managed to get the whole of the potion down her throat. About 20 seconds after she had finished the potion, she opened her bloodshot eyes, and immediately they found Ron's piercing blue ones. His were surely bloodshot too, from all the crying he had done in the past hours. He brought his hand from behind her head, back down to his side, but still clutched onto Hermione's hands with the other one.

Hermione immediately threw herself at Ron and started sobbing. Ron stroked her hair with one hand, and made slow circles on her back with the other, silent tears falling into her tangled hair. A few choked sobs broke free from his throat, and he winced as he felt Hermione's face bury farther into the crook of his neck. He shivered as Hermione's staggered breathing hit his exposed skin, making the hairs stand on end. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her wonderful smell. But, the wonderful flower scent was mixed with blood, and a foreign scent that found it's way on to Harry, Ron, and Hermione from months spent camping. This fact alone brought tears to Ron's eyes.

_So weak. Dammit. You're supposed to be strong. For HER._ Ron thought, feeling Hermione's hands gather fist-fills of his shirt, pulling herself closer to him. And despite the circumstances, electricity still pulsed through his veins as her upper body was pressed against his. She shivered, her sobs subsiding as the calming of the potion took full effect. Hermione pulled back slightly, letting go of Ron and taking soft, shuddering breaths. The door shut quietly. Ron pulled himself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, and placed his hands on either side of Hermione's face. He wiped away the stray tears with his thumbs, and looked over her broken face. Her chocolate brown eyes were bloodshot, her face was blotchy from so many shed tears, she had dirt across her cheekbone, and dried blood was pooled by the corner of her swollen, chapped lips. But god, she was beautiful. Even at her worst hour, she was damn beautiful.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. I'm so sorry," Ron said, looking into her broken eyes.

"It's not your fault Ron," Hermione's voice cracked as a crease above her nose appeared from stress and worry. Ron didn't argue. He didn't want to upset her. He slowly lowered his hands, and placed them in hers. She looked down, a faint glimmer of happiness in her eyes for a millisecond.

"Where does it hurt Hermione?" Ron asked, eyeing the dried blood on her neck, from where Bellatrix had pierced her skin with her knife. He winced, wanting so bad to cradle her face in his hands and kiss her.

"Everywhere," Hermione said, closing her eyes and loosening her grip on Ron's hands.

Ron's eyes flooded with tears as he stood up, "I'm sorry Hermione. I'm sorry." He said, choking on his words.

He pulled the box of medications, bandages and ointments towards him. Hermione's legs now dangled from the bed, and Ron sat on a wooden chair in front of her. Ron stood up, and pulled Hermione's wet coat off of her carefully, tossing it to the side, and turned back to her. The long sleeved shirt was a wreck. He rolled up her sleeves. Ron stood, motionless, his face stony, as he took in her bloody arms. Both were covered in dry blood, some still wet. He opened the kit and pulled out his wand, cleaning up the dried blood from both of her arms, and taking out an ointment, he turned to her right arm and began to cover the thick slash with healing ointment, wrapping her arm in a thick, gauze. She winced and Ron's hand flew up to her face, cradling it in his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Ronald, stop it." She said, the crease re-appearing, "Please, don't blame yourself," She said weakly, taking his hands in hers and bringing them away from her face. Ron took a deep breath, and turned to the cut across her neck. He went along like that for a while, applying ointment and bandaging her cuts up. Finally, he turned to her left arm. He held her wrist, turning her arm over to see the source of all the blood. And there it was, one ugly little word, scrawled across her arm. _mudblood. _It hit him like a blow to the stomach. This was the last thing he had expected. In just one glance, Ron's heart broke. A physical pain flashed in his chest, a piece of him was crushed, and torn. A sob escaped from his throat, and Hermione yanked her arm out of his grip, covering the word.

"That complete bitch. I hate her. I-I'm going to kill her." Ron said angrily, clutching Hermione to him. "I'm so sorry Hermione, this is all my fault. Look what she did to you. She's an awful human being. It's all my fault, it's all my fault. I wasn't there to stop her. Hermione. Please forgive me. I'm sorry. I will NEVER leave you ever again, ever. I will always be here, to keep you safe. Hermione, I-" He stopped abruptly, Hermione was crying. _I can't do anything right. I just make everything worse for her._ Ron thought, _She doesn't even need me._ Hermione's tears subsided a little. As they pulled away from each other, he reached up and tucked a stray piece of Hermione's hair behind her ear, leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. Then, Ron performed a scar charm to make sure that the ugly word wouldn't stay scrawled into her arm forever and wrapped it with gauze.

"I'll be back, Hermione." Ron said gently. She nodded. He opened the door and was face to face with Bill, holding a tray full of food and a nightgown.

"You can stay in there with her if you'd like," Bill said hesitantly, nodding to the other bed in the room, "Luna is staying in the other bedroom, and Harry will be staying on the couch," Bill handed over the tray and nightgown, giving him a look of concern. Bill lowered his voice, "Hermione's going to need you. And you're going to need her." With that Bill turned towards the staircase, but stopped suddenly, "are you alright Ron?" Bill asked.

"Been better," Ron replied, giving a shrug. "Thank you so much for all of your help. And for Fleur's help too of course." Bill clapped a hand on his shoulder, pressed his lips together and went back down the stairs. Ron brought the tray and nightgown into Hermione and left her to change, as he changed in the downstairs bathroom. When he returned, Hermione was propped up in bed, picking at her meal. Ron cleared his throat and sat at the edge of her bed. "Is it alright if I stay in here with you?" Ron asked, looking down at the bed, "The others have found their own sleeping arrangements.. And.."

"Of course," Hermione looked up suddenly, wincing from the movement.

**Authors Note:** **I intensified Hermione's injuries to inscrease the drama and pain. Also, I live in the USA, so I'm sorry that this story doesn't exactly have a British tone to it, if there is something very American in here that you find, please tell me! Reviews are welcomed. This is my first fanfiction and any criticism is welcome! Also, this title might be changed.(Just so you know.)**


	2. Chapter 2

Hours later, Ron sat in the wooden chair next to Hermione's bed, falling asleep while sitting up. Suddenly, whimpers and soft sobs broke the stillness of the night. Ron leaned forward, trying to find Hermione's hands in the darkness. Her soft sobs escalated quickly into shrieks. "Make her stop! Ron! MAKE HER STOP! SHE'S HURTING ME! SHE'S HURTING ME! RON! RON!" Her tone reached the height of hysteria as he held both of her hands in his and spoke in a calm voice, "I'm here Hermione. I'm here. You're okay."

"Ron," her voice was quieter, now, still unconscious, "Ron, I need you. I need you here, don't leave me. Don't ever leave me." she continued, voice muffled slightly by the pillow.

Ron leaned forward, "I won't Hermione, I promise." "Ron.." There was a pause, and heavy silence fell upon them. Hermione moved in her sleep, "Ron, I love you."Ron's breath caught in his throat, "I-I love you too Hermione". With that, Hermione pulled him closer with all of her unconscious might, he ended up on the bed next to her, with his arm thrown across her waist, and her face snuggled into his neck. Hermione returned to a sound sleep, but Ron lay awake.

The next morning

She remembered flashes of red… loud, thrashing noises. She remembered pain, and screeches that she hadn't known were hers until her throat's rawness gave it away. She recalled the smell and sight of blood, and the nasty word scrawled into her arm. She remembered Ron. She remembered his warmth, his breath against the top of her head as he carried her. His smell, surrounding her, comforting her. She remembered the cold stinging her cheeks, and falling into blackness over and over, falling into terrifying dreams. She remembered fear, she remembered Ron again, and then she woke up.

Hermione woke up slowly as the sun, still very low on the horizon, began to creep it's way through the window, blinding her momentarily as her eyes adjusted to the partial daylight. She realized about half a second later that Ron was next to her in the small bad. Hermione stopped all movement and held her breath. She had thought that it was a dream, him comforting her after her nightmare, her confessing her love to him, and him saying it right back. She held her breath and stopped all movement, not wanting to wake him. She slowly manipulated herself off of the bed, and out from under his arms, she switched on the light and sat up in bed, trying to move as little as possible.

But despite her efforts, Ron soon stirred, opening his tired eyes, and stretching. He pulled the deluminator out of this back pocket and clicked it. The ball of light flew from the lamp and the room was plummeted back into darkness. Hermione folded her hands in her lap, looking down at them.

"Did my voice really come out of that?" Hermione asked, turning her head towards Ron. "Yeah, of course it did. I wouldn't lie about something like that." Ron turned his head to face Hermione's."I know," Hermione barely whispered, locking eyes with Ron.

"Good," Ron said, breathless as Hermione's gaze bore into his face. Suddenly they both broke the moment, turning their heads away from the other.

"Ron…" Hermione said uncertainly, not making eye contact, "Did… did you mean it last night, when you, when you… said you loved me?"

Ron's steady breathing came to a halt, "I… yes, Hermione. I meant it… Did you?"

"Of course." Hermione said. She lay down again, and folded herself up next to Ron.

He kissed the top of her head and draped an arm across her torso. Suddenly, Hermione pulled back, looking into Ron's questioning eyes. She took slow, steady breaths for a few seconds and then said, "You know you're the only reason I'm alive right now."

"No I'm not." Ron's eyes glanced across her face, curiously. Hermione sighed, "I heard you screaming for me." She said, "You were my lifeboat. I fought to stay conscious because of you. I fought to stay alive."

"I'm glad." Ron uttered, not knowing what else to say. Hermione cracked a smile, and breathed a laugh, tucking her head into the crook of Ron's neck and closing her eyes.

**Authors Note- Again, I'm from the USA and if you find anything totally American please let me know! I don't love the way this chapter turned out. It's kind of choppy and short. But it's been such a long time, I had to post something for you guys. Reviews and criticism are welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note- It's been a year since I updated this story! To be honest I sort of lost interest in the plotline for a long time. I was also busy with several other pieces that I was working on in my Wattpad. However, I am back to updating due to popular demand and I hope you all enjoy! (:

Hermione sat on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her. Her pale, bony hands clutched a steaming mug of cocoa. The day was starting out very bleak. Harry wanted to hold Dobby's funeral that morning and everyone was busying themselves until it was time to make their way outside and say their goodbyes. Hermione let the steam of the mug warm up her face as she closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet scent. Fleur had brought her cocoa and toast for breakfast along with enough pain medication to last her for a considerable amount of the day. The pain killers made Hermione feel slightly off, as if part of her were on another planet, living another life. She wasn't too content with this side effect, but preferred it over the pain that constantly stung her body.

The aftereffects of the torture were tremendous. Hermione felt as though the cells that made up her body were still buzzing with twinges of magic. She was sore all over and got weak extremely easily. Not to mention the constant application of scar medication. No matter what, the words _mudblood _etched into her skin were still easily seen to Hermione, despite the opinions of the rest of the household. She didn't think that it was disappearing, and maybe for her it never would.

Harry sat next to her on the couch and cleared his throat.

"Ready to go out Hermione," he spoke softly.

"Ready as I'll ever be I suppose," Hermione murmured. Harry grabbed her arm gently to help her up and began to walk towards the front door. Hermione pulled the blanket tighter around her body and watched as Luna, Dean, Fleur, and Bill made their way soberly out to the side yard. Out of the corner of her eye she could see far out the window where a deep, elf-sized, hole was already dug. She set her cocoa down on the table and bent over to pull her boots on. It was an unexpected struggle and she was on the brink of giving up when Ron bounded down the stairs. He gave a small smile to Hermione and bent down. Hermione placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned on him, shoving her foot into the boot. He tugged it all the way on and did the same for the other one.

"Thanks Ron," Hermione tightened the blanket wrapped around her once again.

"No problem," Ron spoke up. They walked around to the side of the house to join the others.

The funeral for Dobby put a damper on Hermione's spirits which had lifted considerably after her and Ron's confessions to each other a few days beforehand. Now she stood at the side of the cottage and stared down at the grave being filled by Harry, Dean, and Ron. The digging kept them busy, but it left Hermione to stand there and try not to cry. She would be eternally grateful for the existence of Dobby, the free elf. He had come at their weakest time and saved them all from the fatal danger that was Voldemort. She would never get to thank him. Her heart sunk at the thought.

Luna leaned her head on Hermione's shoulder and rubbed her back.

"He's happy now Hermione," Luna chirped, "He's in a place with a surplus of socks and scarves and hats," she smiled to herself. Hermione peered in wonder at the blonde curls piled atop Luna's head. She was truly unique. Hermione had learned to appreciate it a fair amount more than she had when she'd first met Luna. Luna blew a kiss to the now filled grave. Ron let his arms go slack and handed the shovel to Dean. Stepping back, he turned to Hermione. She reached a hand out to him and practically fell into his embrace. She knew that this was where she belonged. This was home, in his arms, she thought to herself. No matter where they were she'd always be home if she was with him. Ron leaned his cheek on top of her head and wrapped her in a gentle hug. Hermione's eyes were closed but she knew the moment that they were alone.

"I am forever thankful for that crazy elf," Ron's voice whispered from above Hermione's head. She pulled back, looking up at him. "Without Dobby, I don't think I would still have you. I feel like I owe him a lot more than a grave." They both looked to the headstone, engraved with the words _Here Lies Dobby: A Free Elf. _The statement was comforting somehow.

"He would've liked that I think," Hermione gestured to the gravestone.

"Yeah," Ron breathed a laugh, "yeah I bet he would've." With that they both retreated back towards the cottage.

"I think I need some more hot cocoa," Hermione smiled up at him.

"Oh, I'm in!" Ron said. And they entered the house.

Dinner that night was more peaceful than expected. Fleur and Bill cooked an excellent meal of meat and vegetables. There was a light chatter going on around the table and the pauses were filled with clinks of silverware against plates.

Burying Dobby had felt like letting a huge anchor go. Hermione felt as though she had let go of something that had burdened her for years. It seemed to have the same effect on all of the houseguests. The dark circles that usually rested under Harry's eyes were less noticeable, Hermione thought to herself that the dreadful word was finally starting to fade, and Ron was laughing almost as much as usual. As the sun began to set behind the clouds, dark pinks and oranges peeked through. To her it looked like the promise of tomorrow.

Another Author's Note? Oh boy. Hello Readers! I do want to thank you all for the positive feedback! Reviews are welcomed and greatly appreciated! I also love to hear any ideas or suggestions. I will try to update this as frequently as possible, but in the meantime you can browse through some of my other Romione fanfics. (:

P.S. (Yes Harry will be more present in the story in the upcoming chapters.) THANKS FOR READING! -Taylor


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